


December 15th: Wrapped Presents

by IneffableToreshi



Series: Good Omens Advent Calendar 2019 [16]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Advent Calendar, Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley is Bad at Feelings (Good Omens), Fluff, Ineffable Advent, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M, Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:00:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21727162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IneffableToreshi/pseuds/IneffableToreshi
Summary: This is Day 15 of my Good Omens Advent Calendar for 2019, in which Crowley rummages through the pile of presents that has been appearing beneath the tree.
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Good Omens Advent Calendar 2019 [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1550176
Comments: 12
Kudos: 60





	December 15th: Wrapped Presents

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you enjoy my Good Omens Advent Calendar! Consider it my Christmas gift to the fandom! And if you want to give me a gift in return, please leave me a comment (I live for them!) and if you're really awesome check out my other stuff by going to my blog over at http://traceytobin.wordpress.com! <3

That morning presents began to appear under the tree in the bookshop.

They were beautifully wrapped packages, some small, some large, some in cheery paper with cute, cartoon-y holiday characters, some in satiny, wine-colored wrapping that was almost too lovely to imagine tearing open. Every one of them sported an immaculately tied bow and swirls of perfectly-curled ribbon. 

They appeared in pairs, in groups of three or more, sometimes individually. When the first one appeared Crowley didn't mention it, tried his best not to even notice it. However, by the time there were more than a dozen gorgeously decorated parcels beneath the tree he couldn't resist any longer. Having avoided the Christmas holidays for centuries he'd never seen such pretty piles of gifts, and their allure was quickly becoming more than he could stand. 

He waited until Aziraphale had gone out ("Just going to speak with a gentleman about purchasing his late father's manuscript collection, darling. Be back shortly"). The moment the angel had stepped out the door the demon began licking his lips, eyes darting toward the shiny pile of wonder beneath the tree, but he forced himself to count to one hundred before throwing himself at the floor beside the little temptations. 

The first he picked up - a thin, rectangular box wrapped in emerald green - was tagged 'To Anathema'. Crowley ran his fingers across the shiny paper, letting them twine around the bits of curled ribbon, and allowed his curiosity to run wild, wondering what the angel had chosen to gift the witch. A book, most likely, but what kind? A spellbook, perhaps? A bit on the nose, maybe, but Aziraphale would certainly think it a lovely gesture, and Anathema would smile and thank him regardless, because it would be from the angel's heart. 

Crowley poked at the gift a moment longer before setting it back down where he'd found it and picking up another. This one was fairly large, square, and heavy enough to catch the demon off guard. It was wrapped in a dark blue paper with snowmen printed in every direction, and the bow was an over-the-top silver deal that nearly took up an entire side of the box. It was tagged "To Adam". Crowley smirked, wondering what his angel would think was a suitable present for an eleven-year-old boy, particularly one who happened to be the antichrist. Would he have gone out and purchased some kind of toy? Or was the oversized box a ruse and the package was really filled with a set of encyclopedias? For one particularly amused moment Crowley pictured Aziraphale boxing up all the book additions Adam had made when he'd resurrected the burned bookshop and gifting them back to the boy. He knew even Aziraphale wouldn't be so oblivious (or rude), but it made him chuckle to imagine it. 

The third was the size of a shirt box tagged for Shadwell, the fourth small and shiny and tagged for Madam Tracy. The fifth was quite long and was tagged for Pepper, and Crowley felt suddenly  _ quite  _ certain that if he were to open it he would find a toy sword with a hidden light that, when activated, made the blade appear to be set aflame. 

He was just about to examine a rather confusingly-shaped package for which a miracle must have been performed in order to wrap it so nicely, when he spied a gift that had been hidden far back behind everything else. It was roughly the size of a shoebox, wrapped in a shining black paper that was darker than the midnight sky, and around it was tied a thick white ribbon that transformed seamlessly into the kind of bow that would have given Martha Stewart an inferiority complex. 

Crowley stopped what he'd been doing and stared at this present. It transfixed him. He found himself quite unable (and unwilling) to look away from it. 

Slowly, tongue flicking against his lower lip, fingers twitching, the demon slithered beneath the tree far enough to wrap a hand around the present and pull it toward himself. Delicate fingers traced the white ribbon and caressed the smooth shine of the black paper. It was beautiful. He wondered, jealously, who this gift was for, and felt his heart hitch up in his throat when he flipped the little hanging tag around and saw his own name in loving, looping letters. 

He didn't realize how long he sat there with the present cradled in his hands until the little bookshop doorbell jingled and, after a long moment of silence, Aziraphale crouched down to sit beside him. 

"Are you okay, my dear?" 

It seemed as though it took forever for Crowley to gain enough control over his body to look up into Aziraphale's brilliant blue eyes. The angel's face was gentle and concerned, and it was only upon seeing this that the demon noticed how wet his eyes felt. He immediately reached up to swipe a palm across his face, a haughty-but-broken laugh escaping his throat. " 'M fine, angel," he insisted. "Jus' bein' ssstupid-" He clenched his teeth at the accidental hiss and forced a shaky smile. He realized he was still clutching the present in his other hand and hurried to put it down, only for Aziraphale's hand to lay over his wrist, halting his motion. The demon swallowed hard and struggled to keep that unconvincing smile on his face, but the angel was having none of it. 

"What's wrong, dearest?" Aziraphale asked, voice soothing and tender. "Please tell me."

Crowley shuddered from the warm feeling of the angel's love winding its way around him. He shook his head and laughed, a little shakily. " 'S nothin', angel, really." His fingers clenched, subconsciously, around the black box with its white ribbon. Aziraphale's eyes flicked to the minuscule movement, and as his gaze returned to examine the demon's face, understanding dawned. 

The angel let his fingers stretch from Crowley's wrist to his hand, warming the skin there and gesturing to the gift in the same action. "My darling," he cooed, "is this your first Christmas present?"

Hearing it said aloud like that had Crowley laughing, though there were also tears streaming unabashedly down his cheeks. "Said it was ssstupid," he choked out, the sound as much sob as chuckle. 

Ever-so-gently, Aziraphale helped Crowley to lower the pretty black-and-white box down to the floor, and when the demon's trembling hands were free the angel lifted them in his own, bringing them up to press soft, lovely little kisses all along the knuckles. 

"It's not stupid at all, my love." A sincere assurance. "It must be terribly overwhelming, celebrating the holidays for the first time." 

Crowley couldn't seem to get any more words out, but he nodded and sniffled and willed the tears to leave him in peace. He turned a bit and leaned forward, nuzzling his forehead into the angel's shoulder. " 'S not…'s not the holiday itself, exactly," he mumbled into Aziraphale's coat. 

The angel released the demon's hands in order to pull his dear one closer to him, one hand roaming up into the hair at the base of the demon's neck. "Do you care to explain?" he asked. Not pushing. Not demanding. Offering. Inviting.

Crowley's fingers snaked up to clutch at Aziraphale's coat while he buried his face deeper. He didn't respond at first, but after a few comforting minutes of being held, he murmured an answer. "First time celebrating isn't a big deal. First time with you is."

The angel couldn't have stopped the smile if his existence had depended on it. Carefully, not wanting to break the relaxed spell he'd cast on his demon, Aziraphale shifted their bodies and placed a hand under Crowley's chin to lift his face to his own. The kiss was soft, chaste, and brimming with adoration that infused the demon with love and promise. 

"Let's make it a good one then, shall we?" the angel suggested when he'd pulled away. 

His traitorous eyes finally drying, the demon responded with a genuine smile that radiated childlike glee. 

"Teach me how to wrap presents, angel?"

"Of course, my love."


End file.
